Lafayette on the hunt for QB, fresh start

The Lafayette football team went into the 2015-16 offseason with a dilemma at quarterback.

Two seniors, Drew Reed and Blake Searfoss, were so close in ability that coach Frank Tavani knew that making the final decision would be a difficult one — but, he figured, a no-lose situation.

Reed eventually won the job, but while the two of them combined for 2,933 yards passing and 17 touchdowns, Lafayette was not able to turn those numbers into victories.

As Tavani heads into the current preseason, after a second straight campaign that finished well below expectations within the Lafayette community, the job is completely different.

Reed and Searfoss will graduate in May. The heir-apparent as the leader of the Leopards' offense is a freshman who hasn't played a down since arriving in Easton from Saco, Me. The only other quarterback on the roster who has thrown a collegiate pass is currently a wide receiver.

You'd think that the prospect of starting the 2017 season in September with that kind of inexperience at the pivotal offensive position would be cause for at least a little concern.

Not for Tavani. At least, not yet.

"I have to find a new quarterback, but that's the exciting part," the Leopards' head man said on Sunday less than 24 hours after his team had been whipped by archrival Lehigh 45-21 to end the season at 2-9 overall and 1-5 in the Patriot League.

Austin McCrum, a 6-4, 220-pound strong-armed passer, is the most likely candidate at this point.

"He hasn't done that much," Tavani admitted. "He knows the terminology but not much more, and he certainly hasn't taken the reps."

If Lafayette coaches want to think outside the offensive box, there are some interesting options to how they might come up with quarterbacks to join McCrum and sophomore Mike Lewis, who was No. 4 on the depth chart this year, in spring practice.

One of them involves Josh Davis, a junior who threw — and completed — one pass in the Lafayette-Lehigh game played in Yankee Stadium in 2014. The Californian, who will be a senior next year, was moved to wide receiver ostensibly to get him into the mix, but he has not played. No decision about moving him again has been made.

Lafayette also has on the roster a pair of Lehigh Valley high school products who played quarterback but are in different spots in college. Tre Jordan, a Notre Dame-Green Pond grad, became a starter in the secondary in the third game of the season but played only two games before suffering a season-ending injury. Julian Spigner, a Bethlehem Catholic grad, has been at wide receiver but has no stats.

Two Leopards who were out of school this semester — offensive lineman Tanner Kern with a health issue and defensive back Kaizer Butler because of a battle with granulomatosis with polyangiitis, a rare blood-vessel disease — have re-enrolled for the spring semester. Kern will almost surely be back to the team, while Butler's return is dependent on his continued improvement.

Three Leopards — all defensive tackles — will suspend their college classes for the spring semester and are expected to return in the summer for a medical redshirt fifth year. Tavani said the three will live together and that all have secured internships for the spring semester. They had to do that because Lafayette scholarships are for eight semesters.

Matt Rothrock, who was selected as one of Lafayette's four captains this year, suffered a knee injury in preseason camp and is currently on crutches and has begun his rehab. He had started 22 straight games the last two seasons.

Andy Labudev started the first two games of his freshman year before a knee injury sidelined him, and 2016 was the first year he was able to play in every game; and Robin Cepeda blew out his knee in preseason of 2014 but has started seven games in each of the last two years.

So, while the memories of the most recent season are full of disappointment, there are signs of hope for the future on College Hill.

"We have a lot of work to do, but we weren't as far off as some people think we were," Tavani said. "We've been down this road before. We're looking forward to next season. The kids already talked about it in the locker room [after Saturday's game]. We wished the seniors well, but the rest of us will be getting back to training after we take a short break for Thanksgiving."